You don’t have to wait for summer for summer camp. The YMCA of Beaufort County is offering their Spirit of America youth boating program over spring break. Yes, your child can spend spring break boating and it won’t even break the bank!
Spirit of America through the YMCA of Beaufort County is an educational boating program that teaches rising 7th-10th grade students how to be safe boaters. Based on a STEM curriculum, participants couple classroom time with hands on training. Students get time on kayaks, stand up paddleboards, power boats, sail boats, and canoes. Students start in the YMCA pool to make sure they thoroughly understand the safety skills that are being taught, but the majority of the classes are taught out of The Port Royal Sound Foundation Maritime Center on the river, creek, and marsh.
“The hands-on time is exciting and allows the kids to discover boating in all forms,” says director Paul Spencer, “but it also helps them apply the skills they are learning.”
As a bonus, the students study and test to get their SC DNR Boating License, a requirement for boaters under 16 years of age before independently operating a personal watercraft or a boat powered by 15 hp motor or more.
The Spirit of America program is largely funded through grants and donations, making the program a terrific value. Between the registration fee and camp fee, it costs a total of $75 for the week-long program. Further, the YMCA has a goal of sending half of the participants this year on additional scholarships to make sure the program is affordable and available to every family.
***Register quickly as there are only a few spots left.***
http://www.ymcabeaufortcounty.com/spirit-america-youth-boating-program-ymca/
